Now that you moved into your new apartment, it’s time to spice up your home with some pretty house plants!

And knowing how difficult it can be to choose the right ones for you, we did the research and are jumping in with some help! Here’s our tested list of house plants that can survive any notorious plant killer and still give back lots of love and care to its owner!

#1 English Ivy

Also known as... Ivy, European Ivy, Common Ivy, or Hedera Helix

Benefits
- Improves air quality
- Helps reduce mold

Taking care of it
- Loves sunlight, but thrives when placed in indirect light

Good to know
- It’s toxic for cats and dogs when ingested
- Mist daily to keep mites away!
- Warmer room may require more frequent watering

#2 Aloe Vera

Also known as... Chinese Aloe, True Aloe, First Aid Plant

Benefits
- Improves air quality
- Has therapeutic properties for the skin and gums

Taking care of it
- Loves sunny or semi-sunny areas (indirect sunlight)
- Likes room temperature around 21 degrees Celsius
- Water about once per week or when the soil is dry (even less during winter)
- Prefers dry soil
- Needs a well-drained pot

Good to know
- When Aloe has limp or brown spots on the leaves, or when it begins to smell, it has been overwatered and it’s rotting.
- Spraying water on the leaves is not good for the plant and can lead to overwatering.

#3 Snake Plant

Also known as... Sanseviera, Saint George's sword, Mother-in-law's tongue

Benefits
- Improves air quality by removing toxins (i.e. benzene and formaldehyde)
- Increases productivity
- Decreases stress

Taking care of it
- Water only when the soil is dry (every 1-2 weeks, even less during winter)
- If possible, water from the bottom to help roots and leaves grow healthy
- Thrives in bright or medium bright areas, but is adaptable to low light
- Adaptable to any room temperature above 10 degrees Celsius
- Let soil dry between watering
- Needs a well-drained pot

Good to know
- Dropping leaves indicate overwatering!

#4 Zanzibar Gem

Also known as... ZZ plant, Zuzu plant, Aroid palm, Emerald plant

Benefits
- Increases oxygen levels
- Reduces stress

Taking care of it
- Loves sunlight, but thrives when placed in indirect light
- Thrives in bright (indirect) light, but can survive low light situations
- Once every few weeks when the soil is dry
- Keep away from cold windows or warm radiators
- Water every 2-3 weeks in summer, every 3-4 weeks in winter
- Let soil dry in between watering

Good to know
- When ingested, all parts of this plant are toxic for both humans and animals.
- Leaves turning yellow may indicate overwatering!

#5 Areca Palm

Also known as... Golden cane palm, Yellow palm or Butterfly palm

Benefits
- Is a highly effective air purifying house plant
- One of the best removers of carbon dioxide
- Absorbs carbon dioxide and release oxygen more frequently at night

Taking care of it
- Likes bright, indirect sunlight (this is key to having a healthy Areca Palm!)
- Keep away from cold windows or warm radiators
- Water once every 2 weeks
- Allow soil to dry between watering, but keep it moist during spring and summer
- Thrives in high humidity
- Needs a well-drained pot

Good to know
- Areca Palm will grow as much as the pot allows them to and can even reach heights of 6 meters and up! To keep it from expanding, you can confine it in a smaller pot.

Wondering where you could buy all these gorgeous house plants?

- Intratuin
- IKEA
- Fleurdirect
- Bol.com
- Bakker.com

written by Ana

I'm a cheerful and curious person, passionate about photography and everything that comes with it. As a fellow international, I moved to The Netherlands to study and decided to stay here after falling deeply in love with the culture, people and the beautiful Dutch cities and their canals!